A-1: Rural (2 ha lot)

What the zone allows

Homes allowed

One house with a secondary suite (s. 5.24); or small-scale multi-unit housing where s. 5.37 allows it (a lot inside the Urban Containment Boundary and the Sewer Service Area): houseplexes and at most one house, up to 4 homes (Schedule G). No garden suite (not a listed use here)

Main uses

Farming, a house, small-scale multi-unit housing (houseplexes), boarders (at most 2 in a home), home occupations (bed and breakfast among them), a farm produce stand, accessory buildings

Smallest lot for a subdivision

2 ha, 60 m wide; no panhandle lots; a homesite severance the Agricultural Land Commission approves 2,500 m²

Lot coverage

40% on a lot under 2,000 m²; none set on bigger lots (small-scale multi-unit housing: Schedule G)

Height limit

House 7.5 m, 6.5 m with a flat or low-pitched roof (under 3 in 12); a houseplex 11 m (Schedule G); farm buildings one storey (a hayloft or mezzanine allowed); other accessory buildings 3.75 m

Setbacks

House: front and rear 7.5 m, sides 3.0 m, street side 3.5 m. Farm buildings (not for animals), the produce stand and other accessory buildings: front, rear and street side 7.5 m, sides 3.0 m; farm buildings 3.0 m from homes. Buildings for farm animals 15 m from every lot line and 7.5 m from homes, kennels 15.2 m (s. 5.31)

A house: floor space ratio at most 0.45, and at most 400 m² of gross floor area, whichever is less (s. 101.5(c)); this cap doesn't apply where a building permit application was made before January 1, 2025 (s. 5.40).

Farm residential footprint: on an A-zoned lot of 2,000 m² to about 60 ha (148 acres), or any lot in the ALR, the house, any other homes and their yards sit inside one rectangle of at most 1,000 m² (lot under 5,000 m²), 1,500 m² (under 20,000 m²) or 2,000 m², drawn round the existing house or, on a lot without one, at a front corner within 40 m of the front line (s. 5.41).

All land in the Agricultural Land Reserve also falls under the Agricultural Land Commission Act and its regulations (ss. 5.33, 5.41(h)). Whether this lot is in the ALR is in the report's ALR section.

Farm buildings: a bathroom at most 3.0 m² without a shower (4.0 m² with one where biosecurity needs it); produce stand at most 12 m², one per lot (s. 101.4, 101.7).

Poultry and other animals: setbacks by flock size and lot size in Table 5.2 (s. 5.31).

Christmas tree sales from December 1 to 26 on a lot over 0.5 ha (s. 5.23).

Small-scale multi-unit housing (s. 5.37, Schedule G) needs a lot inside the Urban Containment Boundary and the Sewer Service Area, outside every Transit-Oriented Area, and under 4,050 m² in the Primary Growth Area; it needs at least one houseplex (a house with a suite or garden suite doesn't count). Under Schedule G: each home at most 260 m² (350 m² on a lot of 1,216 m² or more); coverage 55% on a lot of 279 m² or less, 50% from 280 to 1,215 m², 40% on bigger lots (60% with 5 or 6 homes near transit); floor space ratio 1.0 (0.6 from 1,216 m²), at most 520, 780 or 1,040 m² for 2, 3 or 4 homes (700, 1,050 or 1,400 m² on a large lot); a houseplex 11 m high, a house or any building in the rear yard 8 m; front 4 m, rear 7.5 m (5 m on a lot of 279 m² or less), sides 1.5 m (4.5 m together), street side 3.0 m (less on a corner lot). Which of these maps a lot is on we don't check: ask the District.

A secondary suite: one per property, inside the house or a houseplex, never on a title of its own, lived in only once the District has issued an occupancy permit, usually with one more parking space; no boarders in it (s. 5.24).

Home occupations: residents only, at most 20% of the floor area or 50 m², indoors, no more than two clients at a time; a bed and breakfast at most 40 m² of guest rooms (s. 5.5).

Short-term rental (stays under 30 days) isn't among the zone's listed uses (s. 2 defines it apart from bed and breakfast); ask the District whether and how a home here may be rented that way.

Sections 5 (special regulations), 6 (landscaping) and 7 (parking) of the bylaw also apply.

Site-specific exceptions listed in the bylaw by legal description can add or change uses for one property, and development permit areas, the ALR and building rules apply on top. Confirm with the District of Saanich's planning department before you buy or build.

Source: Schedule 101 of District of Saanich Zoning Bylaw No. 8200 (summarised in our words, checked 2026-10-04); zone map: Saanich Data Catalogue Licence (based on the Open Government Licence – British Columbia).